Lietuva in brief - 2012-04-05

Seimas opposition leader MP Algirdas Butkevicius thinks that a final decision on building a new nuclear power plant (NPP) in Lithuania must be made before allocating funds to upgrade roads in the region where the NPP would be situated, reports ELTA. “A final decision on constructing the Visaginas NPP has not been passed, while the government had already made a commitment to prepare roads by 2015 to transport equipment for the projected plant. Around 200 million litas (58 million euros) will be allocated for road infrastructure improvement,” he said. He adds that no one has yet estimated the actual demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) but the authorities are already buying a tanker for the LNG terminal. Latvians and Estonians have not yet said if they are taking part in the NPP project, while Lithuanian MPs are already under pressure to sign the concession agreement. This government puts the cart before the horse and expects a successful journey,” Butkevicius said.

Thousands of Lithuanians last weekend flooded shops in Suwalki, the border town in Poland. Lithuanian residents went for Easter shopping as Polish prices are lower than in Lithuania, reports Polish PAP. Lithuanians go to the border town in Poland to buy vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy products; many of them also came to look for cheaper perfume, clothing and toys. Polish businesses say that Lithuanians during weekends and the pre-holiday period account for as many as 50 percent of customers. Food for Lithuanians is by around 30 percent cheaper in Poland. The large difference of prices comes from VAT for food products, which in Lithuania stands at 21 percent while Polish have it only at 5 percent.